london | spitalfields city farm

i've wanted to check out the spitalfields city farm for so long, but every time i manage to remember to go there, it's shut. that's just me and my sucky timing, no doubt, but when mum and i were out that way on sunday, and i'd not really planned much in the way of "activities", we wandered over just to have a look... and wouldn't you know it, it was open! we could hear the kids squealing with delight from inside, and i caught a glimpse of a donkey - i was sold!

it doesn't have as many cute animals as the surrey docks city farm that i went to last year, and you're not allowed inside the enclosures of these ones either which is a bit of a shame, but the site itself is a lot bigger. it's got a massssssive fresh garden and veggie patch, which had mum pretty happy as she pointed out different varieties of veggie leaves and wildflowers, which is her second favourite hobby after telling me about the kinds of rocks she likes.

the thing i love about these inner-city farms is that they are quite literally in the middle of the city. from above the gorgeous, green garden you can see the skyscrapers of the city of london looming in the distance, and the overground whizzes by every few minutes. you have to worry that these animals weren't meant for this life, but they are all well kept and well looked after, and seemed to be as happy as pigs in mud... literally, in one case.

mum and i were joined by a lot of young families taking their kids out to enjoy the last few days of the indian summer, and let me tell you: i was no less excited to spend that time with the animals than these six year olds were. while the mums snapped pics of their kids giddy with excitement about the dusty donkey foal, we (yes, including me) all tried to feed them grass through the fence and brush the dust of their long ears. no-one really seemed to notice the thirty-something having as much fun as the six year olds...

i can highly recommend the spitalfields city farm for a nice way to kill some time on a sunny afternoon, and for free, no less! it's only closed on mondays, and after four every other day, so the weekend is the perfect time to go! see you there?